


What it takes (I'll fight the world)

by Frenchibi



Series: Family life [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, I guess it's like a time stamp for the AU I started in my prompts collection, Iwa and Oiks have adopted Natsu and Shouyou, M/M, Parents AU, also this is angsty, everyone's struggling honestly, iwaoi - Freeform, struggling children, struggling parents, the daisuga is only in the last chapter, the kids are 8 and 10 in this, with kid!Tobio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-08-23 20:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8342185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frenchibi/pseuds/Frenchibi
Summary: Hajime had doubts about raising children - but he's never doubted Tooru, and as long as they're in this together, he's sure they will be fine.And they are, for the most part, a happy family. But change is subtle and deceptive, and you might not realize it before someone bursts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of Pipa's initially requested AU with IwaOi as parents and Shouyou (and Natsu) as their children. This can be read after the corresponding oneshot ([here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6286657/chapters/19051000)) but it doesn't have to be.  
> I plan to write more for this universe, and once I do, I'll probably post that first oneshot again separately. Maybe in an extended version or something? We'll see.  
> For now I'm sorry for the angst - there'll be a resolution in the days to come, I'm just really tired right now so I split this into two parts.

It starts small, as most things do. Tiny, actually. Almost unnoticeable.

Shouyou is a bubbly kid, even by Hajime's standards, who doesn't exactly have much to compare him to - except maybe what he remembers from when he and Tooru were kids, and of course Natsu's behavior. Shouyou is always bouncing, always laughing, always excited about something.

It should have tipped him off that something was wrong, when one day, Shouyou comes home and doesn't immediately yell about the stuff they did in school, and who he'd spent the break with, and what his favorite part of the day was.

He exchanges a confused look with Natsu, who is sitting at the table doing her homework, when Shouyou doesn't even say hello, and instead makes his way silently to his room.

"...did something happen at school today?" he asks her.

She shrugs. "I didn't see Shou-chan much today, he wasn't outside during break."

Hajime's gaze lingers on the doorway that Shouyou disappeared through, debating whether or not to follow him - but then he decides against it.

Everyone has bad days, after all.

 

Later, Shouyou ignores his call for dinner, and Tooru gives Hajime a questioning look.

"...seems he had a bad day at school."

"Did he tell you about it?"

Hajime sets the plate he's holding down on the table and shakes his head. "He doesn't seem to want to talk at all. He knows we're here and we'll listen."

After a short silence, he relaxes his features. "We shouldn't worry about it. He'll talk if he needs to."

Tooru holds his gaze, evaluating their options, before he lets it slide.

"You're right," he says. "Let's save him some dinner, though."

 

Tooru is the first to get up the next morning because there's a teacher's meeting, and Hajime lets him take care of the kids - so he doesn't expect to be woken by the front door slamming shut.

He sits up, disoriented, before blinking blearily at their alarm clock.

It's too early for anyone to be leaving, really, and his brows knot together in worry. He swings his legs out of bed and heads into the kitchen.

Tooru is standing at the counter, and he turns when Hajime walks in - as does Natsu, who is sitting in her usual spot, a half-eaten bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Ah, good morning? I thought you were sleeping late today, Iwa-chan?"

"Well, I was, but I heard the door- wait, where's Shouyou?"

Tooru sighs, shifting his weight as he leans against the counter. "That was him you heard. He refused to eat breakfast - or talk to me, for that matter. And he left without taking his lunch."

Hajime's eyes narrow, and any sense of fatigue he might have had left evaporates. "He didn't eat dinner either, did he?"

Tooru shakes his head. "Didn't touch the plate we left out for him."

He turns to Natsu. "Did something happen yesterday?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know."

Hajime walks up behind her, resting his hands on the back of her chair. "There's definitely something wrong, though."

Tooru nods. "We'll ask him tonight. I'll try and come home a little earlier."

"Don't shorten their practice because of this," Hajime says. "We'll have enough time to deal with it when you're back."

 

Hajime largely doesn't mind being the stay-at-home parent, for now, but he hasn't given up on job hunting. It's just surprisingly hard to explain his predicament to potential employers - he can't work a full-time job because there'd be no one around to watch the kids, what with Tooru so busy teaching and coaching at the moment.

They've talked about this, Hajime will find a proper job once Shouyou and Natsu are a bit older, but for now he's stuck doing the odd part-time job, if one presents itself, and otherwise taking care of the house while everyone else is out.

Tooru had been worried, in the beginning, that Hajime might feel useless or like a burden to him, but when he'd voiced these concerns to Hajime, he'd been met with laughter and an incredulous expression.

"Are you kidding? You couldn't cook for yourself if your life depended on it, Shittykawa. You should be grateful I'll be doing all the chores for you."  
Tooru had pushed his lower lip forward in a pout. "...and you'll be seeing more of Nat-chan and Shou-chan! I'm not sure this is fair at all!"

Hajime had smiled, at that, and leaned over to press a kiss to Tooru's cheek. "Not much. They'll be in daycare, and then in school most of the time, anyway. And you're not always busy, either." And when Tooru hadn't looked completely convinced, he'd flicked his forehead. "Don't worry so much, idiot. We'll be fine. We- we want this, don't we? And you want to coach your team."

Tooru had nodded, but the guilt hadn't left his expression, not entirely. Not that Hajime had expected this to be easy, really. He'd left it at that, for that day, but he makes sure to regularly remind Tooru that he's still happy, he's still very much where he wants to be, and that he loves their little family more than anything.

Slowly but surely, Tooru has started to believe him - especially now that the kids are a little older, developing their own personalities and habits, which is fascinating to watch. Hajime is glad they made the decision to adopt, and his doubts are getting fewer and fewer every day.

That is, until Shouyou comes back home from class that day with an angry bruise on his left cheek, and Natsu refuses to speak.

 

Hajime stares at his two children standing in the doorway, Natsu with her arms crossed in front of her chest and deliberately avoiding eye-contact, and Shouyou with his hands clenched into fists at his side, eyes fixed determinedly at the ground.

"...Shouyou, what happened?!" Hajime asks in alarm, bending down so he can see the bruise better, automatically reaching forward to cup his face in his hand. Shouyou twists away, though, and his arm comes up fast, slapping Hajime's hand away.

Hajime takes a step back, startled, and that's all Shouyou needs to shoot past him and into the apartment. Hajime spins around and yells after him: "Hey, Shou-" but then Natsu is also pushing past him without a word, slipping out of her shoes and jacket with such quick precision that Hajime finds it hard to imagine she'd been having trouble getting dressed by herself only a couple of years ago. She grabs her discarded school bag and bolts as well, shutting the door to her room behind her with considerable force and leaving Hajime standing alone in the open doorway in stunned silence.

 

He closes the door, finally, and walks back into the living room - but then he decides he can't really leave it at that, can he?

He tries Shouyou's door first, lightly rapping the surface of the wood with his knuckles. "...Shou?"

There's no response.

"Shou, you gotta tell me what's wrong - how did you get hurt like that?" He decides not to mention the not eating thing, the bruise being the more pressing matter at that moment. It had looked, from what Hajime could tell, like someone had punched him in the face at full force.

Still, there's no reply. Hajime reaches for the door handle. "Shou, I'm coming in-"

"GO AWAY!" a muffled voice yells from the other side, and there's the sound of something heavy colliding with the wood of the door.

"Shouyou-"

Hajime pushes the handle down, but the door only opens a couple of inches before stopping, knocking into something solid.

"Shou, what did you-"

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Shouyou screams, and with a burst of force Hajime would not have thought he had in him, he shoves at whatever is blocking the door and manages to slam it closed again before Hajime can properly react.

"Shouyou!" he calls, raising his voice in shock. "Talk to me! What happened?!"

His hand pushes against the door, but all he gets in response is a kick, short and snappy, the impact of which causes the door to shudder in its frame.

Hajime exhales, deciding that it's probably pointless to push more - he could force the door open, sure, but then what? He still hopes, somehow, that Shouyou will calm down enough to open up to him willingly.

All he hears now is the muffled sound of sobs on the other side, and though it hurts him more than he can say that Shouyou doesn't seem to trust him with whatever is going on, he hopes giving him a little more time will help.

So he turns - and blinks in surprise when he sees Natsu's door slightly ajar, and his daughter peeking through the tiny opening out into the hallway. When she sees that she's been caught, she quickly backs away, slamming her door shut again.

Hajime crosses the hall in two quick strides, hand already moving to the doorknob.

"Natsu-"

He hesitates, even though he can hear shuffling on the other side.

"Natsu, can I come in? Please?"

There's no response here, either, so he cautiously pushes down the handle. "...I'm coming in," he says, and pushes the door open.

Natsu is nowhere to be seen, but there's a suspiciously large lump of blankets on top of her bed.

Hajime sighs, though he's not sure if it's in relief or resignation. Tooru used to do this all the time - he'd bury himself, hide from the rest of the world where he was safe and comfortable, and it used to take a whole lot of coaxing and prodding for Hajime to get him to tell him what was wrong.

At least Natsu isn't yelling at him to go away - but he thinks that her silence is almost worse.

He approaches the bed and sinks down onto the edge, his hand hovering above the heap of blankets.

"...Nat-chan...?" he says quietly, and he can practically see her flinch. It's usually Tooru who calls her that - it's Tooru who understands her a little better than Hajime does, Tooru who is usually quicker to know what's wrong with her.

He lowers his hand to touch the top blanket gently - but she immediately recoils at the touch, gathering the blankets around her and pulling back into the corner of her bed, out of his reach.

"...Nat-chan, I'm really worried," he confesses, folding his hands in his lap. "Shou's hurt, and he won't tell me what's wrong - but you know something don't you?"

He hears a tiny, tiny sob from within the blankets, and his heart clenches in his chest.

"Please, can't you tell me what happened? Let me help you. Let me help your brother."

At this, Natsu shakes her head so hard that he can see where it must be buried under the blankets.

"...why not? What's wrong, love? You're scaring me."

The heap of blankets moves a little, shifting and twisting, and then suddenly there's a tiny opening, and he sees a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him, red-rimmed from crying.

"Natsu?"

Another tiny sob, and she shakes her head again.

Hajime bites his lip, extending a hand towards her. "Natsu, love-"

She pulls back a little, pulling the covers back up so they almost conceal her again, but then she seems to think better of it. Slowly, she lowers the blankets enough for him to see her expression. Above all, what Hajime sees there is _hurt_ , and her cheeks are streaked with tears.

"...darling, did you get hurt today?" Hajime asks softly, eyes fixed on her face.

She shakes her head.

"...but Shou did, right?"

A tiny nod.

"Do you think you can... tell me who hurt him? Was it a classmate of his?"

Natsu hesitates, then she nods once, resolute.

"Did he get into a fight?"

She bites her lip and blinks at him, unmoving.

"...why aren't you talking, love?"

At this, she purses her lips into a pout that could rival Tooru's, and he sees something else shining in her eyes. Pride.

Hajime stares at her for a moment, more than a little dumb-founded.

"...is this a game, Natsu?"

She lets out an offended huff of air and shakes her head - and then she turns to glare at the wall that separates her room from Shouyou's.

He follows her gaze, his mind working in overdrive. Something her brother did, then?

Before he gets the chance to speak again, however, he hears a key being fitted into the lock of the front door, followed a moment later by Tooru's cheery call of "I'm home!"

Natsu's eyes widen, and she's back under the covers so fast that Hajime has no time to react. He's left sitting next to a quivering heap, and he's pretty sure he can hear his daughter quietly sobbing again. He runs his hands over his face in frustration.

He's probably never been this glad that Tooru ignored his advice and came home early.

"Iwa-chan?" his confused voice calls from the kitchen. "Nat-chan? Shou-chan?"

Hajime gets to his feet instead of answering, and meets Tooru out in the hall. He's got a confused expression on his face, tinged slightly with worry.  
"Oh, Iwa-chan," he says when he sees him. "What's going on? Where is everybody?"

"...we have a bit of a problem," Hajime says, unconsciously hugging his own arms as he looks up at his husband.

Tooru's face goes from confused to concerned to dangerously worried in less than a second, and he reaches for Hajime's hands immediately. "What happened?"

Hajime sighs. "Shouyou came back from school with a huge bruise on his face and he wouldn't even let me get a good look at it - he's barricaded himself in his room. And Natsu... Natsu's not talking. At all."

Tooru eyes the open door behind him, assessing for a moment before he lets him go and walks past him into their daughter's room. Hajime follows slowly, not sure if his presence will help Tooru in his endeavors or make it worse.

Tooru is whispering quietly to the heap of blankets that is Natsu, leaning in and already unraveling the first layer. Of course he'd be better at coaxing her out.

Hajime watches as Tooru pauses, and then Natsu is unwrapping herself and throwing herself into Tooru's arms, crying into his shoulder.

Tooru embraces her immediately and lifts her up off the bed, even though she's starting to get a little too big for that, and carries her out of her room. Hajime steps aside to let him through, and Tooru tilts his head, indicating him to follow. Then he presses a kiss to Natsu's hair and whispers: "It's okay, love. It's okay."

Natsu is definitely shaking, her arms tightening around his neck as he carries her. Hajime pauses briefly by Shouyou's door, but the boy has gone quiet now.

He decides it's best to take this one step at a time, even though it hurts, and follows Tooru back into the living room.

They settle on the couch with Natsu on Tooru's lap, her breaths gradually slowing down as she stops shivering and calms down. Tooru rubs soothing circles into her back until the crying stops, until she feels safe to pull back and face them.

"Now, now," Tooru says, gently wiping the tear tracks off her cheek with his sleeve. "What's got you so upset, love?"

Natsu shakes her head, shoulders hunching up as she stares down into her lap, folding her hands in front of her.

"Did you get hurt today?" Tooru asks, and Natsu shoots a glance at Hajime before shaking her head again. It doesn't escape Tooru's notice, and he looks over at Hajime, the question evident in his eyes.

"I think she's not talking because of something Shouyou said, or did."

Natsu bites her lip and holds his gaze, resolute.

"...that's all she would tell me."

She turns back to Tooru, eyes pleading, begging him to understand more than Hajime did.

"You're not going to talk to me? Or to Iwa-chan?"

Natsu shakes her head.

"Not to anyone? Or just not to us?"

She crosses her arms in front of her chest and shakes her head - but there's something in her eyes, the beginning of her resolve cracking a little.

"...did Shou-chan make you angry today, love?" Tooru asks gently. Hajime turns to look at him in surprise.

Natsu tugs her bottom lip into her mouth, suddenly fighting back tears. Tooru's eyes widen in understanding.

"Nat-chan, you don't have to prove anything to him."

She lets out a small, desperate gasp - and then she's crying again, breaths leaving her body in tiny gasps.

"To-ch-chan," she whispers, and Hajime has to stifle his surprised intake of breath.

Tooru tilts his head to the side a little, giving her a patient smile - but Hajime can see the worry underneath, the expert mask that he'd created all the way back in high school probably impossible to see through for his daughter, but Hajime has learned to read Tooru all his life.

"...can you tell us what happened?" Tooru asks, reaching up to stroke a strand of hair out of her face.

She lets out a shuddering breath of air, trembling - but it's not from the tears anymore. It looks like... rage.

"I'm not saying it," she says. "n-not until Shou takes back what he said."

Tooru can't quite ban the surprise from his face. "You're angry at him?"

Natsu nods. "And I'm not talking until he apologizes." She presses her lips tightly together and crosses her arms in front of her chest. Tooru holds her gaze for a moment, then looks over at Hajime.

"Let's get him out of his room, then. It's time for him to do some explaining, too, don't you think?"

Hajime nods and starts getting to his feet - but he freezes when he hears a noise behind him.

The three of them turn towards the kitchen, and Hajime's eyes catch the blur of movement in the doorway.

He darts after it without a second's hesitation, determined to catch Shouyou before he barricades himself up again.

Sure enough, the boy is just slipping through the tiny opening between his door and the frame. He must have pulled whatever was blocking it - the desk, Hajime guesses - back just far enough so he could crack open the door and get out. It makes sense, really - he hasn't eaten since yesterday evening, he must be getting hungry.

Hajime isn't about to let him get away, though, and he catches Shouyou's arm before he can pull it inside and slam the door shut again.

Shouyou yells when Hajime's fingers close around his wrist, and he yanks his arm towards himself, hard, trying to shake him off - but this time Hajime is prepared.

"Shou! What's-"

"GET OFF ME, YOU _FREAK_ ," Shouyou screams, jerking his arm upwards so that his fist collides with Hajime's chin, hard.

Hajime lets go, startled, and he stumbles back, only to have the door slammed in his face all over again.

He doesn't even register Tooru yelling "SHOUYOU!" at the other end of the hallway, Natsu peering around his legs with wide, horrified eyes.

All he sees as he stares at the place his son had been just a second ago is the blazing _hate_ in Shouyou's eyes, and all he hears is his voice, enraged, vicious, screaming _"freak!"_ , over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Find me on [tumblr](http://frenchibi.tumblr.com)!  
> Also to all the people who sent me requests - don't worry, I'm still doing those! :D I got quite a few, so it might take me a little while, but I'm definitely writing them!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry!! I said it was gonna be 2 chapters but then I realized that wasn't gonna work with what I had planned D': So there's gonna be 3, and I'll try and update as soon as I can!  
> (Either way - have this. I'm also sorry for the pain)

Hajime barely feels the sting on his face over the throbbing of his own blood in his ears, and the pool of dread in his stomach that just keeps growing.

It takes the combined effort of both him and Tooru to force open Shouyou's door. They debate quickly, silently, by an exchange of glances, whether they are going to breach their child's privacy like this - this has never happened before, but Tooru only takes one look at Hajime's face and his expression hardens.

 _He crossed the line_ , is what Hajime hears - and that settles it.

Once they have the door open wide enough to pass through, Tooru is the first to enter. Shouyou is still yelling, "GO AWAY" and "LEAVE ME ALONE", but Tooru doesn't let it deter him.

"We'll leave, Shou - we will. But you have to tell us what's going on. This isn't like you, and we're worried-"

He pushes the desk to the side as he speaks, allowing Hajime to open the door all the way and walk inside. Natsu stays where she is, in the hall, watching from a distance. Her hands are clenched tightly into fists at her side, and she's shaking - though Hajime isn't quite sure if it's rage or distress or a little bit of both.

"I don't CARE, get out, get OUT!"

Hajime approaches the bed, where Shouyou has barricaded himself behind his blankets.

"Shou... what happened?"

There's a brief silence, then Shouyou spits: "What do you care?! I obviously don't matter to you!"

Hajime stops in his tracks, hand outstretched. "Shouyou - we- of course we care, what are you-"

"If you cared about me you wouldn't have adopted me!"

He reaches blindly beside him until his hand finds a pillow, which he then hurls at Hajime. It misses, slapping against the floor and into the hall. "You would've let me be _normal_!"

"Shouyou!"

Shock and hurt flash across Tooru's face, but before he can say anything else, Shouyou is screaming again.

"They hate me, they all _hate_ me, and it's your fault! Why can't I have _normal_ parents? Why'd I have to end up with _you_ instead of a mom and dad like everybody else?! I hate this, I _hate_ this, and I HATE YOU!"

Hajime manages to hold the boy's gaze, still so full of rage and disappointment, but he has to look away as his eyes start burning.

He's determined not to cry now, not like this, but he realizes at the same time that he can't stay here anymore, can't face Shouyou and his anger because this is what he'd been afraid of. This is worse than his worst nightmare, this is "what if they suffer, Tooru, because of what we are?"

Tooru had grabbed Hajime's face in both hands that day, pulled him close, forced their gazes to meet. "That's not you talking, Iwa-chan. What we are is _together_ , for better or worse. Screw the world. We're gonna love our kids with everything we have, and we're going to be happy."

It's one of Hajime's favorite memories, one he replays in his head on particularly tough days, when the doubts come creeping back in. He used to replay it over and over when Tooru was gone for weeks on end with the National Team, and his side of the bed felt like and endlessly huge black hole threatening to swallow everything. He replayed it when an elderly couple gave them disgusted looks while they were grocery shopping, replayed it when he took a punch to the stomach from some jerk at a bar who'd thought it was funny to call Tooru a fag.

It turns to ashes in his mouth at Shouyou's words, shattering like everything else he's been holding on to.

Hajime manages a small, sad smile, and he's proud that his voice doesn't break when he says: "I'm sorry." And then he turns and leaves the room, unable to look at the boy for another second.

 

He walks down the hall and into the bedroom, mostly by physical memory of how many steps it takes, because his vision has gone blurry from the tears building in his eyes. He's about to close the door, lock himself away until he's calmed down, until he's figured out how on earth he's going to fix this- but then he feels something tug at his sleeve, and a pair of arms wraps tightly around his waist.

He can feel Natsu pressing her face into his back, hugging him as tightly as she can, fingers twisting into his shirt.

"I love you," she says, voice muffled slightly, and it's both the most beautiful and the most painful thing Hajime has ever heard in his life.

He takes a shuddering breath and tries to muffle the sob building in his throat, moving his hands down to cover hers. She squeezes him before letting go so she can pull him down, and he lets her, lets her tug him to his knees so she can hug him properly, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I love you," she says again, and her voice breaks, "I love you, Ha-chan."

He wraps his arms around her (she feels so small all of a sudden, so tiny and vulnerable) and he can't stop the tears anymore. "It's okay," he whispers, even though it's not, it's so, so far from okay-

"Shou-chan's wrong," she says, every shuddering breath shaking her entire frame. "H-he's wrong, he's _wrong_."

And then her voice gets raspy with fear as she whispers: "...please don't leave."

He exhales in an attempt to calm himself, because her words have made his blood run cold.

"Never, love," he promises. "Never."

He dimly registers the sound of a door closing, and then footsteps - and he hears Tooru exhale in what can only be relief when he reaches the bedroom and sees Natsu wrapped tightly in Hajime's arms.

Hajime manages to hold his gaze for a moment, praying that Tooru will understand the questions he can't ask while Natsu is here - but Tooru looks down, and slowly shakes his head.

It's like the ground opens beneath him, dragging him into the abyss below.

~~~

Natsu refuses to sleep in her own bed that night.

She's grown so fast since they first took her in, but as he tucks her trembling form under the blankets with his arm curled around her, she reminds Hajime a lot of the small child she used to be - so small and seemingly so vulnerable, more often than not startled to tears by her brother's antics. (But he'd always make her laugh again, at lightning speed. Natsu grew up only seeing Shouyou ahead of her, dazzled by his energy.) Now it looks like the light he used to give her has been snuffed out, and she's a tiny, terrified girl whose world no longer makes sense. It only makes Hajime pull her closer, as if he could protect her from the world.

Tooru stands beside the bed, looking down at them with so much love and hurt in his expression that Hajime feels his chest physically clench around his heart. A thought crosses his mind - one he hasn't had in years, but one that still haunts his worst nightmares: _He deserves so much better than this._

"You're the best thing in my life," Tooru had said to him one night, up on the roof of his parents' house in Miyagi, with a large blanket wrapped around them both, no space between them.

Hajime had wanted to believe him, then - this brilliant, beautiful boy he had fallen in love with, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He wanted to believe that Tooru felt the same way about him. It felt right.

But there had always been doubts - and while Hajime constantly verbally beat Tooru's doubts right out of him ("The team with the stronger six wins," he'd yelled, and "Just do what we always do"), he always seemed to stay stuck with his own. They were more incessant, couldn't be snuffed out by words of reassurance. He'd used those words with Tooru so many times, but once they were directed at him, they seemed like smoke in the wind, without substance, without power.

Oh, but Tooru's actions did what his words couldn't. Tooru knew Hajime just as well as Hajime knew him, and though it took Hajime an embarrasingly long time to come to terms with the fact that this was real, Tooru _wanted_ this, just as much as he himself always had - even though it had taken ages, at some point he'd woken up with this dazzling, breathtaking man in his arms and the confident, absolute knowledge that this was _his_.

He'd proposed on that same day, and promised he would never doubt their choices for another second.

And yet here he is, with that unbidden thought that had taken _years_ to completely undo. _He deserves better than this. He deserves better than_ me.

"I'll go check on Shou one more time," Tooru says quietly. Hajime has to close his eyes, can't bare to face him as he decides to try and fix this, fix them - Tooru has always believed he could fix everything if he tried hard enough.

(Hajime has always wanted it to be true.)

He waits, but Tooru doesn't move - and then the bed dips, and he feels the soft but determined pressure of Tooru's lips against his forehead.

"I'll fight the world," he whispers, and there are tears sliding down Hajime's cheeks all over again.

He would.

 

Tooru draws away, and Hajime hears his footsteps, sees him in his mind's eye as he walks down the hall and comes to a stop at Shouyou's door.

A gentle knock, and the whisper of words Hajime doesn't understand.

And silence.

Hajime registers their door closing by the darkening of his surroundings, but he doesn't open his eyes again, even when Tooru lets out a quiet sigh and gets into bed beside him.

Instead he reaches out blindly with the hand that isn't curled around their daughter between them (she's still trembling) and finds Tooru's arm in the dark, following it downwards until their fingers slot together.

Tooru draws closer, and Hajime feels him exhale against his face as he curls around Natsu's other side, legs tangling with Hajime's and completely encasing the girl between them.

"Whatever it takes, Hajime," Tooru whispers. "You know that, right?"

He falls asleep with tear tracks drying on his face.

~~~

Neither of them notice Natsu carefully drawing out of their embrace once she is sure they are both asleep.

She has never seen Ha-chan cry before, and it terrifies her to no end - so when his breathing finally evens out, she feels the relief down to her bones.

She climbs over him as carefully and quietly as she can, holding her breath until her feet touch the wooden floor. Then she turns to look back at her parents - not that  
she can see much, in the dark of the room.

Just two large, silent lumps by the light of the streetlamps outside, through a few cracks in the blinds.

Satisfied when none of them stirs, she breathes out as gently as she can and slips over to the door as quickly as possible.

She manages to open it mostly without issue - she knows it creaks if you open it too wide, but she's snuck in here enough times late at night to know not to push it too far.

In the doorway, though, she turns one more time and looks back.

_He promised he wouldn't leave. Not ever._

She's still afraid. What if she turns away, and when she comes back from school tomorrow, Ha-chan is gone?

But then she clenches her hands into fists. She won't let him leave. She'll go out herself and bring him back, if she has to.

She knows what she has to do.

 

Shou-chan's door is open just a tiny crack. It doesn't surprise her. She knows that her brother doesn't want their parents to know, wants to impress them with how big and strong he already is - so he doesn't tell them that the dark still scares him sometimes.

It suits her just fine, that open door. The handle always gives her trouble, anyway.

She's already reached out, fingers inches from the wood, when she hears it.

It's small, and so, so quiet - but Natsu has heard enough crying today to recognize it as a sob.

 _Serves him right_ , she thinks, but her hand moves of its own accord, connects with the wood, pushes it open and lets a bulk of light from the hall illuminate the floor inside.

The crying stops.

Natsu presses her lips tightly together, determined, and she steps inside.

There's papers and pens scattered all over the floor (she remembers the heavy thud of the door slamming shut with the desk against it, and the crash after that, that meant more things falling down).

There's a heap of blankets on Shou-chan's bed.

(Is that really what it looks like, when people hide under their blankets? Natsu needs to find a new hiding place.)

Natsu inches closer, her bare feet tapping softly over the mess that Shou-chan has left.

The heap shifts.

"...go away."

It's a quiet mumble, and she pretends like she didn't hear.

She's reached the edge of the bed, and stretches out her arm to poke at the heap. The sheets, scattered with stars, shift a little.

"Go _away_ , Nat-chan!"

It's still quiet, and not exactly angry.

Natsu glances up at the plastic glowy stars on Shou-chan's ceiling for a second, biting her lip.

She tries not to think about the things Shou-chan said at school.

_I didn't ask for parents like those! I wish I was normal, like any of you! I hate my family so, so much!_

She tries to think, instead, about all the nice things Shou-chan has done for her.

It's hard, when all she really wants to do is punch him in the face, pull his hair and scream at him that he's wrong.

It's hard, but she's trying to be nice.

_It's not because I'm scared._

It's because of something Ha-chan said to her, once, when she'd come home from kindergarten crying bitter tears of anger and resentment at one of her friends.  
"I hate her," she'd said, "I hate her, I hate her, she's AWFUL!"

Ha-chan had listened, waited for her to calm down, and then he'd said something Natsu doesn't think she'll ever forget.

"Listen, love - when we're angry or upset, we say things that we don't mean. Don't hate Runa-chan because she was mean to you once. Maybe, if you give her the chance, she'll apologize to you. If you don't let her say sorry, you'll never hear it - and you might lose someone very important to you."

Natsu wants to let Shou-chan say sorry, she thinks.

Natsu wants to believe that Shou-chan doesn't really hate her, or Ha-chan, or To-chan. She wants to believe he said something he didn't mean.

(Shou-chan didn't mean it. Not her Shou-chan.)

Because Shou-chan was the one who stopped her crying when she'd asked why she didn't have a pretty, warm and smiling mommy like the other children did. He was the one who made her believe that having To-chan and Ha-chan instead was just as good - probably even better, _because no one else's family is as cool as ours is, Nat-chan!_

Natsu tries to remember his face from back then, eyes sparkling with that same magic that has always made her love her brother more than anything.

She pokes the heap again.

"Shou-chan," she whispers.

"...go away. Just go."

"...Shou-chan, I saw Ha-chan cry today."

He doesn't reply to that, and the blankets are scarily still.

"I've never seen him cry. It's scary. I didn't think Ha-chan could cry, Shou-chan."

Shou-chan says nothing. Natsu looks at the stars again.

"D'you know why he cried?"

There's shuffling, and she hears a gross, wet sniff.

"...'cause of me," Shou-chan says.

Natsu nods, even though he can't see her like this. She doesn't even know where his face is.

"Cause you said you hate him."

The heap of blankets moves suddenly, and Natsu takes a step back, startled.

Shou-chan's head pops out at the top, and his hair is all over the place and he's crying huge, heavy tears, but he's _so quiet_.

"...I don't hate him," Shou-chan whispers, and his eyes look like they're begging, begging her to understand.

Natsu lets out a breath. _We say things that we don't mean._

"...I think he wants to let you say sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

Hajime hears Natsu's footsteps tapping quietly across the floor of his and Tooru's room, and he holds his breath until the door closes softly behind her.

He immediately misses her warmth, and he can't stop the worry that's constricting his throat.

Just as he feels himself slipping back into doubts and fears and _it's my fault_ , a hand clasps around his wrist, slamming him right back into his body.

Tooru doesn't say a word, he simply tugs on Hajime's arm, and Hajime finds himself slipping into his embrace, as easy as breathing.

He says so much more than words with how he squeezes Hajime close, _I'm with you_ , _we'll figure this out_ and _don't worry._

Hajime forces himself to unclench and relax, breathing Tooru in as he buries his face in the crook of his neck.

"...Tooru," he says quietly.

Tooru runs his fingers up Hajime's arm, the touch light and thoughtless. "Mmh?"

"Just... what are we gonna do?"

Tooru doesn't answer for a moment, but his fingers don't still. He traces Hajime's shoulders and his upper back, following the small dips of skin over muscle. Hajime shudders a little, and Tooru lets out a soft sigh, threading his fingers into Hajime's hair.

"We wait," he says quietly. "We try not to worry too much."

Hajime bites his lip, even though Tooru can't see him now. "I don't think I can do that."

Tooru shifts, pressing his lips to Hajime's temple. "We have to," he murmurs against his skin.

"But- he's so _angry_ , I've never seen him like this! They must be bullying him at school, and it's our faul-"

"It's not our fault," Tooru cuts in sharply. "None of this is our fault, Iwa-chan. We're not wrong. It's not our fault that those other kids were raised by homophobic asses."

"But-"

"Hajime," he says, and there it is - the switch. _Hajime_. "I know he's angry. He's a kid, they get angry all the time."

"...not like that," Hajime says. "He slammed the door in my face. He _punched_ me, Tooru!"

"I know."

Tooru's grip grows tighter, more possessive. "He still loves you."

Out of all the things Tooru could have said, somehow this hits Hajime the hardest. He swallows against the giant lump in his throat, willing it to not distort his voice.

"...does he, though?"

He hates that he sounds tiny and vulnerable. He hates that this fear is the truth that lies beneath whatever he tells himself every day, whatever lets him sleep at night, whatever gets him through each day of this life they're living. Underneath all that, there will always be this small, nagging doubt.

No matter how much he loves Tooru and the children, and no matter how many times he's assured that they feel the same.

_What if I'm wrong?_

_What if this, all of this, can't last?_

"Hajime."

The hurt in Tooru's voice cuts deeper than any knife ever could.

Hajime pulls back to look up at his face, he needs to _see_ -

"You're not yourself tonight, Hajime," Tooru says quietly. "Usually I'm the one who doubts. And you know what you always tell me, every time?"

Hajime watches him silently, the underlying fear gripping his heart.

"You tell me to think about what I feel. _"Do you think you'll ever stop loving me?"_ \- remember?"

Hajime does.

"...never," he says. "Not in a million years. No matter what happens."

Tooru nods, smiling softly.

"Remember how often we used to yell at our moms? How many times we'd tell them we hated them, over stupid, tiny things?"

Hajime chuckles weakly. "...we were awful kids."

"Excuse you, I was _adorable_."

He manages an actual smile at that. "That doesn't make up for you being a dick to your parents."

Tooru clicks his tongue at him. "My point is," he says, and he pulls Hajime closer as he does so, "that children aren't supposed to be grateful. They don't know what being a parent is like, and they won't until they have kids of their own. So the only thing we can do is love them, and hopefully show them the right way. Give them comfort when they're upset, and share our happiness. Just like our parents did."

Hajime knows Tooru is right, and while it does ease his mind a little, it doesn't make his fear go away.

"...what about school, though? If they're targeting him-"

"We'll contact the teachers," Tooru says. "There's not much we can do if we're not there - we'll speak to his teachers, and if they refuse to help and it doesn't get better, we transfer him. There's no need for him to suffer."

"But... we can't just take him out of the only place he knows? What about his friends, what about-"

"Hajime, relax. Of course we're going to talk to him first." Tooru runs a hand through Hajime's hair, pressing another kiss to his forehead. "You need to calm down, love. We can't help him if we're irrational and worried. Let's trust him, okay? He'll tell us what's wrong."

Hajime knows he's right, he knows, but he can't seem to let himself be convinced. He pulls away, pulls back until he's sitting up.

"I've never seen him this angry, To. What if he doesn't calm down? What if all of this falls apart because we couldn't be _normal_ , what if they were right? What if we're not cut out for this, what if-"

"Hajime-"

But Hajime talks over him, fear and anger twisting into his thoughts, "what if all of this is wrong, what if they're better off without me, without us, what-"

" _Hajime_ ," Tooru says again, and something in the tone of his voice makes Hajime close his mouth.

Tooru is up on his elbows, but he's not looking at him. He's looking towards the door, which is ajar again, and towards the trembling figure blocking the sliver of light from outside.

Hajime feels his stomach drop straight through the floor.

"Natsu," he says, and his voice loses all edge.

He hadn't realized he'd been practically shouting, and judging by the way she's shaking, he's genuinely scared her. She gasps a little, but doesn't dare come closer - and the tiny whimper that follows is enough to make Hajime swing his legs out of bed and get to his feet.

She actually backs away when he steps up to her, and just seeing her flinch away from him is absolutely heartbreaking.

"Nat-chan," Hajime says quietly, and she shudders.

He lets himself drop down to his knees in front of her, desperate to show her that he's not dangerous, he's not a threat, and he's not _leaving_. As he holds out his hand to her, he realizes he's shaking, too.

"I'm so sorry," he says, "I'm sorry, it's okay-"

And then the door moves ever so slightly, as if someone behind it had accidentally nudged against it.

Hajime stops, turning his head.

"...Shou-chan?"

He can practically feel Tooru tense up behind him, and Natsu lets out a tiny sob.

"W-we came to s-say s-sorry," she whispers, eyes wide and fearful, and it feels like someone reached right into Hajime's chest and ripped out his heart.

Of course it would be Natsu.

She understands her brother better even than Hajime and Tooru do, and she knows just what to say to him. Of course the one to coax him out would be her.

Her words from earlier are suddenly loud in his memory, even though she'd only whispered them.

_...please don't leave._

God damn it, he can't break now.

There's a small sob from behind the door, and it opens just in time for Hajime to see Shouyou crumple onto the floor, tears streaming down his face.

Before Hajime can even react, Tooru has climbed out of bed as well and is crossing the room, not even hesitating for a second before he scoops Shouyou up into his arms and pulls him close.

The boy sobs again, and the sound breaks something inside Hajime as he watches Tooru press a kiss to Shouyou's forehead. He doesn't say a word, simply turns around and moves back to the bed, taking Shouyou with him.

He leaves Hajime on the floor beside Natsu, and both of them watch him step past in silence.

Then, slowly, Hajime turns his head to catch his daughter's gaze.

He manages a soft smile, though he's sure she can see the hurt underneath - she's perceptive like that.

"...c'mon," he breathes, and holds out his hand again.

She hesitates, hands curling into fists.

"Nat-chan...?"

"..."

He lets out a breath, closing his eyes briefly.

"I meant what I said to you, love. I'm never leaving you."

Natsu bites her lip.

"Y-you said-"

"Ha-chan was angry, love, and worried that we're not strong enough to protect you."

Both Hajime and Natsu turn to where the voice came from, and find Tooru leaning over them.

"T-To-chan."

Tooru crouches down beside them, and brushes over Natsu's cheek with his hand. "But do you know what Ha-chan loves more than anything else in the world?"

Natsu's eyes are wide and just short of terrified as she shakes her head.

"...you," Hajime says quietly. "You, and Shou-chan, and Tooru. Our family."

Natsu stares, and behind them on the bed, Shouyou is sniffling softly.

"Sometimes..." Hajime starts, aware that all eyes are on him now, "sometimes I get so scared that I'll lose you that I don't know what to do. And then... I say things-"

"...you say things you don't mean," Natsu whispers.

Hajime turns to stare at her, blinking. Tooru does too, but he's smiling.

"Exactly. I think what Ha-chan means to say is... he's sorry for worrying you again. He won't leave." And then, ruffling her hair, he adds: "We won't let him."

Natsu almost laughs at that, but her half-smile is more than enough.

It's forgiveness.

"I love you so much," Hajime says.

Natsu lets herself hesitate for the fraction of a second before her next smile tears across her face, ear to ear.

"I love you too, Ha-chan!"

And she throws herself into his arms.

Her weight isn't exactly overwhelming, but her momentum almost has him toppling backwards. It takes him a second to steady himself, but Tooru's arm around his shoulder grounds him, and when Natsu starts shaking in his arms he tightens his grip.

"Shh, love, it's okay," he whispers, but she just shakes her head.

The night's events have clearly tired her out, and her tears now are more from exhaustion than anything else.

Gently, trying not to disturb her, he gets to his feet, lifting her up. He's unsteady, still shaking, and Tooru's presence right beside him is what makes him able to move forward. It's _I'm here, I'm here, you're not alone_.

Shouyou is watching them, and he shrinks back a little when Hajime lowers himself back onto the bed. He gives his son a soft smile, but Shouyou doesn't move - not until Tooru sits down across from him and holds out his hand. Then he scrambles over into Tooru's lap, curling up like he used to do when he was little. Hajime's chest aches at the sight.

Tooru smiles over at him and Natsu before tugging at the blanket he's half-sitting on and quickly draping it around himself, creating a kind of tent around the boy in his lap. Hajime follows his lead and scoots over so he's directly opposite him, pulling the second blanket with him, and the children are surrounded by the warmth of the blankets and their parents.

The light from the hallway is enough to illuminate Natsu's face as she pulls back a little, cheeks wet from her tears, and sniffles noisily. She turns to look over at Tooru, who is running his hand through Shouyou's hair, and smiles widely.

"It's like a blanket castle," she says happily. Tooru chuckles and reaches over to pet her hair as well.

"Mmh, it really is. And you're safe in here."

Hajime bites back tears because Tooru always knows just what he needs. He feels just as protected as the kids must feel - it's warmth and comfort that's being given to him in the same amount that he's offering it himself, and it's all he could ever ask for. He will never get over how much this little family means to him.

This is more important than anything else.

"...Shou-chan," he whispers, because Shouyou still hasn't spoken to him, and because he needs this distance between them gone as soon as possible.

Shouyou stirs, and Hajime sees him biting his lip before he slowly, slowly looks up and meets his gaze.

"...hey," Hajime says, and he knows his smile looks a little sadder than he means it to.

Shouyou swallows visibly.

"...I'm..."

His eyes dart away from Hajime's face and back again, and he's cowering back - Hajime has never seen him this scared.

"...wanna swap places with Nat-chan?"

Shouyou stares up at Tooru like he'd just offered him the moon, incredulous and afraid - and Natsu looks back and forth between her brother and Hajime, eyes suddenly sharp.

"To-chaaaan," she trills, practically throwing herself into Tooru's lap, on top of Shouyou, who is still looking kind of lost and overwhelmed.

Hajime offers him another smile, one that feels more real, and opens his arms.

There's a tiny, awful second in which Hajime thinks Shouyou will back away - and then he moves, and the moment he buries his face in Hajime's chest, it's like every weight he's ever felt has been lifted from his shoulders.

Hajime curls down over him, wrapping himself around the boy like he could protect him from the world, and presses his lips to Shouyou's hair.

_It's okay, it's okay, we're okay._

Shouyou sobs, and he feels so small, so vulnerable in his arms - it takes Hajime a second to realize that he's gasping words through his tears and heaving breaths, but when he hears them, it just makes him hold on tighter.

"I'm sorry," Shouyou gasps, "I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry, don't h-hate me, I'm so sorry, I- I'm sorry-"

"Shhh," Hajime whispers into his hair, and he rocks them gently back and forth. "It's okay. Hey, hey, it's okay."

"I d-don't... I don't h-hate you," Shouyou chokes, hands curling into fists over Hajime's shirt. "I didn't m-mean it-"

Hajime nods, running his hands over Shouyou's back, trying to soothe him.

"It's okay, Shou. We're okay."

"I l-love you so m-much," Shouyou says, pressing closer, "so much... I'm sorry..."

Hajime kisses him again, letting his relief wash over him and take the rest of his doubts with it. "I love you too, baby. It's okay." He pulls back a tiny bit so he can look at Shouyou's face, reaching down to brush away the tears on his face with his palm. "...do you want to tell us what happened?"

Shouyou sniffs, shuddering a little, but he's nodding.

Tooru reaches over and places a reassuring hand to the small of Shouyou's back, letting him know that he's here, too, and that he's safe.

Shouyou takes several deep breaths to calm down, and when he starts talking, he can't look at any of them. Instead he kneads his fingers together, staring down into his lap.

"Some... some of the kids in my class saw you drop us off at school the other day," he says. Natsu shifts, leaning up against Tooru. She's the only one who isn't watching Shouyou, and her lips are pursed.

"They started... making fun of me. Even my friends! I... I wanted them to stop. I didn't... want them to hate me."

"...so what did you do?" Tooru asks, quiet and patient.

"I... I said..."

Shouyou swallows, and Natsu's hands curl into fists.

"I said I h-hate our family, and that I wished I was normal."

Hajime wills his breathing to stay calm - those words sting, even if Shouyou didn't mean them. He knows that under normal circumstances they wouldn't affect him so much, but right now, when he's been fighting tears all evening, it's harder than he would have thought to not take them to heart.

Tooru puts a little more pressure on Shouyou's back, rubbing tiny circles there.

"...how did you get hurt, love?"

Shouyou blinks and looks up, as if he'd only just remembered how bruised his face was.

"I... Sawamura hit me."

The name doesn't ring a bell for Hajime - not a kid Shouyou has told them about, then.

"...you got in a fight? About this? What happened?" he asks, tilting his head in concern.

Shouyou looks over at him and shakes his head. "N-no. He just... I don't... I don't know why. He just looked really angry, he punched me and walked away."

Hajime frowns, already opening his mouth to clarify, when he feels Natsu tugging on his arm. "I know why," she says, and the other three all turn to look at her.

"You do?"

She nods. "Mmh. Tobio-kun is like us."

Hajime tilts his head a little in confusion, but Tooru's eyes are going wide.

"...he has two dads," Natsu explains, and Hajime sees the same understanding he is feeling suddenly flit across Shouyou's face.

"...oh."

Natsu pouts, refusing to look at her brother. "The stuff you said- I hate it," she mumbles, hands clenching into fists. "I think Tobio-kun hates it too."

Shouyou looks down at his hands, teeth worrying his bottom lip again.

Hajime is already opening his mouth to give him a push in the right direction when he looks up, by himself, and faces his sister.

"...I'm sorry," he mumbles.

Tooru's eyes are just as wide as Hajime's and it feels like they're collectively holding their breaths, waiting for Natsu's reaction.

Finally, she meets Shouyou's gaze, determined and head-on.

"You take back what you said?"

Shouyou nods. "I lied. I lied because I didn't... they all hate us because we're different, and I didn't want to be different. But I don't hate To-chan or Ha-chan."

There's a brief silence, then he adds: "...or you."

Natsu sniffs in an attempt to sound pouty and annoyed, but it comes out kind of desperate because there's tears building in her eyes again.

"I... don't hate you either," she whispers, and she reaches for the hem of Shouyou's shirt.

Shouyou stares at her with wide eyes, watching her tears spill over and roll down her cheeks, thick and heavy.

"N-Nat-chan..."

"I want- I w-want us to be together forever," Natsu whispers, and her eyes dart up to Hajime. "I d-don't want anyone to l-leave-"

Now it's Tooru's turn to tighten his grip, pulling the girl to his chest and hugging her close.

"We won't leave, love. We're strongest together, all of us. Right?"

Hajime nods, wrapping his own arms around Shouyou again, who shivers and holds on tightly.

"Tooru's right, you know?" Hajime whispers to the children. "We're a family, and we need to stick together."

"The next time something happens to you," Tooru says gently, "promise you'll tell us? We can help."

Both of the children nod, and Natsu drags her sleeve across her face, smearing tears and snot all over it. Hajime chuckles softly, reaching over to brush her hair out of her eyes.

"C-can we sleep together today? W-with you?" she asks.

Tooru presses a kiss to her temple with a smile.

"Well, you're already here, aren't you? What do you think, Shou-chan, wanna stay here?"

"...mh."

"Okay. Let's get you cleaned up and lie down then, shall we? It's already gotten so late!"

Hajime watches with a faint smile as Tooru fusses over the children, making a show of lifting them both up (even though they're way, way too big for this), wiping their faces with some tissues from Hajime's night stand before kissing their cheeks (not without blowing a raspberry against Natsu's, making her giggle) and tucking them in beside him on the bed.

Hajime lifts himself out of bed to close the door, but just as he's reaching for the handle, he hears Natsu call out to him.

"Leave it open a bit?" she asks.

He looks back over at her with confusion on his face, wanting to ask why because she's been used to sleeping without light - but she isn't looking at him. She's curled into Shouyou's side, and her brother is giving her a tiny, grateful smile.

Oh.

"Sure thing, love," Hajime says, leaving the door open a crack and padding back to the bed, his feet making soft sounds on the floor.

They've left his usual spot open for him, and he lies down, pulling the second blanket up to cover them like he used to do when they were little.

Natsu lets out a contented sigh, and Shouyou's features are finally relaxing.

"...it's warm," Natsu whispers.

Tooru shushes her, bumping his finger against her nose. "We're sleeping now, shh."

Shouyou squirms and Hajime is sure he hears him giggle a little. "Nat-chan, that tickles-"

Tooru laughs under his breath, tugging them both closer, but it's not helping the situation - everyone is giddy and way too wound up to settle down.

This calls for desperate measures.

Hajime clicks his tongue, and the other three fall silent immediately.

"...sorry, Iwa-chan," Tooru says, grinning over at him sheepishly. "We'll be good, I promise!"

"...sorry, Ha-chan!"

"...sorry."

It's silent for a moment, and Hajime is about to close his eyes, when-

"NAT-CHAN, STOP IT!"

And all four of them burst out laughing.  
  
  
~~

 

Epilogue  


 

"Tell me when you see him," Hajime says, glancing back at Shouyou through the rear-view mirror.

"Nat-chan, keep your coat on, please." Tooru gives her a stern look, and she meets his gaze, caught.

"But it's so _warm_ -"

"Wanna wait outside the car instead?" Hajime asks, because Natsu has also started tugging at her hat, but before she has a chance to reply, Shouyou says: "That's him, over there. In the silver car."

Hajime follows his gaze to the car that's pulling over across the parking lot, and spots a small black-haired kid in the back seat.

"That's him?"

"Mmh."

"Okay. You guys can get ready then, I'll go talk to his parents."

He opens the door, and Tooru follows suit, unfastening his seatbelt.

Natsu almost falls out of her seat because she's leaning against the door as she's opening it, and Tooru steps up just in time to catch her.

Hajime shakes his head exasperatedly, stopping for a second to adjust Shouyou's hat before stepping around the car and walking over to where the Sawamura's have parked.

From what he can tell, both parents are in the car - only the passenger door opens, though, and a silver-haired man steps out and proceeds to hand the black-haired boy his school bag before leaning over to press a kiss to his head and sending him off.

"...Sawamura-san?" Hajime asks, approaching him as his son heads towards the school.

The man turns, eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion, but once he sees Hajime, a smooth smile stretches over his face.

"Ah - it's Sugawara, actually - but everyone calls me Suga."

"Oh," Hajime says. "I'm sorry to bother you, Suga-san - you're one of Tobio's parents, right?"

Understanding flits across Sugawara's face. "You must be Iwaizumi-san."

Hajime nods. "I don't mean to cause any trouble-"

But Sugawara is already waving his hand. "Not at all, not at all! When I got a call yesterday from the principal to tell me my son had punched someone, I was pretty shocked - and of course we'll make sure Tobio apologizes to Shouyou-kun!"

Hajime is a little taken aback, but he smiles nonetheless. "Ah, that's not- actually, we're here to apologize to you."

He gestures behind him, to where Tooru is just locking their car and closing Natsu's jacket before straightening up and walking over to where they're standing. Shouyou and Natsu watch him go, before Natsu resolutely slides her hand into her brother's and walks him towards the school entrance. Hajime can't help but feel a little proud at the sight.

Sugawara's eyes widen a little as Tooru approaches, and he says: "...Oikawa-san? From the National Team?"

Tooru raises his eyebrows as he takes his place at Hajime's side, extending his hand. "It's Iwaizumi now, Iwaizumi Tooru," he says. "You follow volleyball?"

Sugawara smiles. "Congratulations," he says, and it sounds sincere. "I'm Sugawara Koushi, but please, call me Suga."

He shakes Tooru's hand before adding: "I used to play, myself, in high school and college. Not as successfully as you though, obviously."

Tooru watches him for a moment, and Hajime can practically hear the gears churning in his brain. He seems to decide to trust Sugawara's intentions, for the moment, and puts on one of his dazzling smiles. "Always nice to meet a fellow enthusiast."

"Suga-san is Tobio-kun's father," Hajime tells him, and Tooru nods his understanding.

"I'm terribly sorry for all the trouble my son has caused you," Sugawara says. "Daichi and I were shocked to hear about what happened. Tobio is a quiet child, not violent at all."

Tooru nods. "Shou told us about it - and there is really no need for you to apologize. If anything, it's us who should be apologizing to you. Shou said some very hurtful things."

Before Sugawara can reply, the driver's door of his car opens and Tobio's other father steps out. He's a little taller than Sugawara and has a friendly face, even when his brow is furrowed a little in concern.

"Is there a problem?" he asks, and Hajime doesn't miss the way his hand comes up to rest on Sugawara's back.

Sugawara shakes his head, smiling at his partner. "Dai-chan, these are Shouyou-kun's parents - the Iwaizumis."

"Oh," he says. "Sawamura Daichi. I'm very sorry for the trouble we've caused you."

Tooru shakes his head again. "No, no. Like I said, you really don't need to apologize. Our son was out of line as well."

"It's nice to meet you, Sawamura-san," Hajime says. "We'd also like to apologize on Shouyou's behalf - the things he said were hurtful, and Tobio-kun was right to be angry."

Sawamura shakes the hand Hajime offers him before straightening up again and saying: "That may be so, but it doesn't justify him hitting Shouyou-kun. Is he alright?"

Hajime smiles. "A little bruised up, but he's okay. I think he learned his lesson."

Sugawara looks uncomfortable at that. "We'll definitely make Tobio apologize. Even if he was angry, hitting someone is no way to deal with it and he should know better."

"It's alright, really. We've given Shou a talk as well - I hope they can get along better in the future."

Sawamura nods, and Tooru seems relieved that they've reached an understanding. He's already moving to pull back, but Sugawara looks like he still has something to say.

"Ah- just. If you don't mind me asking-"

Hajime gives him a nod to continue, and Sugawara smiles, albeit nervously.

"If it isn't too presumptuous, I'd love to have you over for coffee sometime? With the children, of course. Tobio is having trouble... connecting with people, and I think if he spent a little time with Shouyou he'd learn not to judge others so quickly. I mean, I don't want to interfere too much, or anything, but-"

"Koushi," Sawamura interrupts gently, and Sugawara jumps a little, clasping his hands together.

"Ah, sorry. I'm rambling. We'd like to invite you, if- if you feel like it. You can take it as our way of saying sorry."

Sawamura smiles. "Koushi bakes - you're very welcome to come over and try some of his pastries."

Hajime glances at Tooru, and sees the same smile mirrored on his face that he's wearing as well. Sawamura and Sugawara seem like nice, caring people - and he knows that Natsu would burst with excitement at the prospect of pastries.

"Sure thing," Tooru says, and Hajime feels his fingers squeezing his waist, reassuring and warm. "We'd love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and there you have it!
> 
> Feel free to come after me with picket signs and pitchforks because I promised this would be out fast, and look how long it took me! Seriously, I apologize - and thank you for being so patient with me.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the last chapter and the resolution! I might expand on this universe and these ideas with time stamps or shorter fics - don't hesitate to leave requests and/or suggestions if there's something you'd like to see me write!
> 
> Thank you for reading, I had a lot of fun writing this!  
> Find me on [tumblr](http://frenchibi.tumblr.com) and have a chat with me :D


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